TED: The mathematical secrets of Pascal’s triangle

"Pascal’s triangle, which at first may just look like a neatly arranged stack of numbers, is actually a mathematical treasure trove. But what about it has so intrigued mathematicians the world over? Wajdi Mohamed Ratemi shows how Pascal's triangle is full of patterns and secrets."

 Pascal's Triangle

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scientific American - the reliability of eyewitness accounts

Thank you to Lucas for bringing this piece to my attention.  Memory and eyewitness testimony come under heavy criticism in terms of their reliability, their bias and the way they are influenced by personal assumptions or experiences. This piece, by Scientific American, explores the controversy surrounding eyewitness accounts and the devastating effects these can have. Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on Eyewitness Accounts
Read more

The Guardian - Allow me to womansplain the problem with gendered language

Image
In this opinion column, journalist Arwa Mahdawi explores the limitations of gendered language such as mansplaining  and girlboss. These neologisms seem to have been created to illustrate a criticism of gendered language, but end up having the reverse effect. Mahdawi explores how we create language to subvert the sexism within current phrases, titles or expressions, but in the end Mahdawi argues that  " It doesn’t tear down the sexism encoded in language, it reinforces it." Sophia Amoruso, who popularised the term girlboss, at the premiere of Netflix’s Girlboss TV show. The problem with gendered language
Read more

Scientific American - Your Facial Bone Structure Has a Big Influence on How People See You

Quite an interesting read that addresses the role of perception in first impressions. Once again, the study in question centered on males only, with specific reference to specific elements of facial structure that previous studies suggested indicated perceptions of higher testosterone, aggression and strength. Still, an interesting look at how we are not only influenced by facial expressions at first glance, but also by the physical form of individuals. An excerpt: "A newly published series of experiments by cognitive neuroscientists at New York University is reinforcing the relevance of facial expressions to perceptions of characteristics such as trustworthiness and friendliness. More importantly, the research also revealed the unexpected finding that perceptions of abilities such as physical strength are not dependent on facial expressions but rather on facial bone structure." Bone Structure
Read more